Trunk locking device



Patentd Apr. 11, 1922;

fifUZ/i F. w. MEYER. TRUNK LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.27. I921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W MEYER, OF OSHKOS H, WISCONSIFT, ASSIGNORTO THE OSI-IKOSH. TRUNK COMPANY, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN TRUNK LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

Original application filed February 14, 1921, Serial No. 444,664. Divided and this application filed August 27, 1921.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK IV. MEYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Vinnebago and State of W'isconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trunk Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to locking devices for wardrobe trunks, and more particularly to locking devices for wardrobe trunks for land or sea travel, as set forth in my copending application Serial No. 444,664, filed February 14, 1921, and of which the present application is a division.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wardrobe trunk of the kind mentioned, standing upright on one end, closed and locked by a locking device constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof the trunk unlocked and open, when used like a wardrobe trunk;

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken through trunk when lying on one side with its lid opened, as when the trunk is used under a berth or bunk of a steamship; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the locking mechanism for the lid, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The trunk shown in the drawings is constructed along the general lines of a center opening wardrobe trunk. It has two hinged together sections 1 and 2, both of which are open at their upper ends. To close these ends, when the sections 1 and 2 are clo ed, I provide a lid 3 hinged to the section 1 at the upper edge of its rear wall and extending over and closing the open ends of both sections when the lid is closed, as shown in Fig. 1.

The section 2 constitutes the wardrobe section of the trunk and has side cleats 4, 4 extending the full length or height of the section and forming with the trunk walls a channel to receive a rectangular tray 5 provided with extensible trolleys 6 for garment hangers 7. This tray also has a clothes retainer 8 and the usual fixtures-associated therewith. The tray 5 has a length and width substantially equal to the like dimensions of the section 2 and is slidably mounted Serial No. 495,995.

in said section. The latter having an open end permits the tray to be drawn endwise therefrom and to he slid back into the section through the open end when replacing the tray in the trunk. To facilitate withdrawing the tray from the section 2. the tray is provided at its upper end with a pull tab 9 in the form of a loop to permit grasping thereof and also allowing the tray to be hung up on a hook or nail in a closet or room when it is out of the trunk. Sliding of the tray from the section 2 is done when the trunk is lying flatwise on one of its sides and under a ships berth, as fully set forth in my said copending application. and as indicated in Fig. 3 herein.

In the other section 1 is arranged a plurality of boX like containers 1(), 11, and 1.2. hen the trunk is standing upright on its lower end, as shown in F igs. 1 and 2. these containers are one above the other with the container 10 uppermost and accessible while in such position through the open upper end of the section 1. This container 10 has a hinged lid 13 in its top wall to enable access to be had to the interior of the container without drawing it out of the section 1. To prevent the container 10 from sliding out of the open side of the section 1, I provide a cross-bar 14 extending across the section at its upper end and secured to the side walls thereof, shown in Fig. The two lower boxes or 'c imtainers 11 and 12 may be withdrawn through the open side of the section 1 when access is to be had to the interior thereof while the trunk is standing upright and used like an ordinary wardrobe trunk. hen the trunk is under a ships berth and lying on one side, as shown in Fig. 3, the containers 10 to 12 are removed from and replaced in the trunk by sliding them into and out of the open end of the section 1, all as fully set forth in my said copending application.

Located inside of and secured to one of the side walls of the section 1 are a plurality of fixed locking members or eyes 15. These project into the other section 2 through apertures or slots 16 in one of the side cleats 40f the section 2 when the trunk sections are closed together. At this time the fixed locking members 15 are in position to be engaged by the movable locking members 17, which, as shown in Fig.

.3, are in the form of hooks pivoted to the 19 With a locking hasp 20 on the outside ol 7 the trunk section 2 and fixed to a stud i l rotatably supported in the adjacent wall of the section 2 and extending therethrough, as shown in Fig. This locking mecluinisni is the same as disclosed in my Roi ac Patent No. l,143, granted May 30, 1916. The locking hasp 20, as in my said prior patent, has a hinged section 22 carrying the key operable tumbler lock mechanism and, in the trunk shown herein, is adapted to engage thesocketed plate 23 secured to the lid 3 at one side thereof, as shown.

As an additional lock for the lid 3, I provide a locking device operating in conjunction with the main locking mechanism just described. The lid locking mechanism comprises an endwise movable bar 24;. lo cated in the lid between the inner and outer Walls thereof, as shown iiii ig. Said bar extends across the lid and is slidably mounted in cleats 25, One end t the bar 24 extends into the socketod morn her 23 and the other end is adapto-rl to project into a recess or space 26 in the lid 3. as illustrated in said F at. Secured to one of the'side walls of the trunk section 2 and projecting upward above the open end thereof is a lug or plate 27 having at its outer end a hole to receive the adjacent end of the locking bar 24-. l About the latter is coiled a spring 28 hearing at one end against one of the cleats and at the other end against a pin on the bar in a direction constantly urging the bar towanzl the locking hasp 20. l/Vhen the hasp is. unlocked. the spring 28. moves the bar outward against the hasp, thereby assisting in inox ing it into open position and at the same time withdrawing .its opposite end from t 1-; hole in the plate 27, thereby unlockia the lid 3 at that end of the trunk. When the locking hasp 20 is swung into its keeper socket 23, it pushes against the bar 24 and moves its opposite end into the hole in the plate 27. thorehy'cllecting the looking of the lid at opposite sides the trunk section 2. The lid is thus locked at two points, one by means of the locking hasp 20 at one side of the lid and the other by means of the bar 24 and iilate .27 at the opposite side of the lid. This locks the lid 3 securely closed and prevents that cornenopposite the locking hasp 20 from springing outward from the trunlnavhich might happen if there was no locking bar 24: pro ided -for that purpose. Furthermore, the construction enables the trunk sections 1 and 2 to be locked together on turnmg the hasp 20 to cause thehooks 27 to engage the fixed locking members or eyes 15 and'at the same time efi'ect the locking oi? the lid 3 closed over both of the section-3- l and2 when the liasp 20 is snapped into locked engagement with its keeper socket 3, all in one operation of locking the trunk and through the operation of one actuating member, namely, the This therefore effects the locking of the two sections together at plurality of: points in their lengthand also effects the looking of the lid 3 closed at two points or opposite-sides of the trunk. The lid is unlocked merely by unlocking the hasp 20 From its socket 23-and swinging the hasp outward. The lid may thus he opened while the trunk sections 1, and 2 remain locked by the locking members 15, 17; This is one feature that adapts the trunk for steamship travel, as set forth in my copendingapplication. To unlock the sections 1 and 2, the hasp is turned to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to raise the bar 18 andcarry the hooks out of the eyes 15,.as setforth in my said prior patent.

.While I have shown and described herein in detail a trunk locking device constructed in accordance with my invention, it is ol course to he understood that the various details of construction illustrated may 7 be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention,

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with atrunk having l l vsection and a hinged lid section, of id locking mechanism, comprising a god lockinghasp on the outside of one sections atone side of the lid, a sorl'd: meiuberon the othersection and r to receive said hasp for locking the d at that side of the same, and means inside of the trunk tor-locking the lid closed at the side opposite said hasp and actuated on swinging said hasp into and out of said socket.

2. The combination with a trunk having a body section and a hinged lid section, of a lid locking mechanism, comprising a hinged locking hasp on the outside of said body section at one side 0]": said lid, a socket memher on said lid and adapted to receive said hasp for locking the lid closed at that side or the same, a fixed locking member on said body section at the opposite side of said lid, a bar slidably mounted in said lid between said socket and said fixed locking member and movable into locking engagement with the latter by said hasp on swinging the same into said socket, and a spring for Withdrawing the bar from said fixed locking member on swinging said hasp out of said socket.

3. The combination with a'trunk having two hingedtogether sections, both open at one end, and a lidfor closing theopen ends locking hasp 2 of said sections and hinged to one of the same, of a locking mechanism, comprising means at one side of the trunk for locking and unlocking said sections and for locking and unlocking said lid at that side of the trunk, and means inside of the trunk for locking the lid closed at the side opposite said first mentioned means and actuated through the operation thereof.

l. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections, both open at one end, and a lid for closing the open ends of said sections and hinged to one of the same, of a locking mechanism, comprising means at one side of the trunk for locking and unlocking said sections, said means including a hinged locking hasp on the outside of one of said sections at one side of the lid, a socket member on the lid and adapted to receive said hasp for locking the lid closed at that side of the same, and

means inside of the trunk for locking the lid closed at the opposite side of the same and actuated on swinging said hasp into and out of said socket.

5. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections, both open at one end, and, a lid for closing the open ends of both of said sections and hinged to one of the same, of a locking mechanism, comprising means for locking and unlocking said sections, said means including a hinged locking hasp on the outside of one of said sections at one side of the lid, a socket member on the lid and adapted to receive said hasp for locking the lid closed at that side of the same, and means including a spring pressed bar carried by the lid for locking the lid closed at the side of the trunk opposite said hasp and actuated on swinging said hasp into and out of said socket.

6. A wardrobe trunk, comprising two hinged together sections, both open at one end, a lid for closing the open ends of said sections and hinged to one of the same, a locking hasp mounted on the outside of one of said sections, a socket secured to the outside of the lid at one side thereof and adapted to receive said hasp for locking the lid closed at that side of the trunk, an endwise movable bar mounted in said lid and h ving one end projecting into said socket, a lug secured to the section on which the hasp is mounted and located on the opposite side thereof and having an eye to receive the other end of said bar when the hasp is in said socket, a spring surrounding said bar and acting to constantly force the same toward said socket to withdraw its end from said lug when the hasp is unlocked and swung outward from said socket.

7. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections, both open at one end. and a lid for closing the open ends of said sections and hinged to one of the same, of a locking mechanism, comprising means inside of the trunk for locking and unlocking said sections, said means including a hinged locking hasp pivoted on the outside of one of said sections and actuating said means on turning said hasp into and out of position transverse to the length of said trunk, a socket member on the lid and adapted to receive said hasp when in position lengthwise of said trunk for locking the lid closed at that side of the same, and means for locking the lid closed on the opposite side of the trunk and actuated on swinging said hasp into and out of said socket.

8. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections, both open at one end, and a lid for closing the open ends of said sections and hinged to one of the same, of a locking mechanism, comprising means inside of the trunk for locking the sections closed, a hinged locking hasp on the outside of the trunk, a socket member on the lid at one side of the trunk and adapted to .receive said hasp for locking the lid closed at that side of the same, means for locking the lid closed at the opposite side of the same and actuated on swinging said hasp into and out of said socket, said hasp being connected with the locking means for the sections for actuating the same after being disengaged from said socket, thereby permitting the lid to be locked and unlocked with out unlocking the trunk sections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix my signature this 23rd day of August, A. D. 1921.

FRANK W. MEYER. 

